


Persistence Is Not Futile

by believesinponds



Series: Persistence [3]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M, and he likes what he sees, and the reader gets a little peek into len and barry's future ;), i just haven't decided on when or how, i know that lisa gets with cisco later in this verse, len gets his own glimpse into the future, mention of sara/lisa because i ship it so hard, more likely than not it will be a poly relationship because i just cannot resist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 21:47:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6026329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/believesinponds/pseuds/believesinponds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gideon takes the Legends crew to 2017 and Len gets a sneak preview of his future with Barry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Persistence Is Not Futile

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the super long delay on this baby. I know I've been a little distracted with coldwave lately (and I mean, really, can you blame me???) but I promise this verse will continue! I just love these boys too much :)

They were supposed to be going home to recuperate for a few weeks, but Gideon wasn’t cooperating. It was amusing, really, to watch Rip struggle to control his AI co-pilot.

“Setting course for 2017.”

“No! Gideon, we need to go to _2016_. We can’t disrupt the timeline--”

The ship took off and Rip nearly toppled over.

“ _Gideon!_ ”

Len’s laugh quickly turned to a groan as they jumped through time. Mick looked like he was about to turn green and Stein was squeezing his eyes shut with a grimace. Then a moment later the ship settled and their restraints disengaged. Len pursed his lips and sucked in a breath, regaining his bearings, before turning his gaze back to Rip.

“What the hell, Gideon?” Rip slammed his hand down on the console.

“Sorry, Captain. It had to be done.”

“What does that even--” Rip began, but he was interrupted by a red streak crackling with yellow lightning.

Barry Allen, decked out in his Flash suit with the cowl down around his neck, was standing right in front of Len and grinning.

“Gideon told me you were back. I wasn’t expecting you for another week.”

The whole thing was a little strange, but Allen was known for being a little overenthusiastic, so Len didn’t question it. That was, until the man leaned down and gave Len a quick kiss.

Everyone stared.

Len’s eyes went wide.

Rip muttered, “Shit.”

And then Barry’s face fell.

“Get it, Leonard!” Sara called.

Barry was frowning, glancing at the others and then back at Len. “You’re not my Len, are you?”

Len shrugged. “Sorry, kid.”

“Oh god,” Barry said, scratching the back of his head. “He’s going to kill me. What year are you from?”

Len was about to answer, but Barry beat him to it.

“No, that’s a stupid question. You just started this last year so obviously you’re from 2016. When, though?” He raised an eyebrow (and wasn’t _that_ an interesting look on Barry Allen). “What’s happening in, uh, _our_ timeline?”

Len glared at his companions, who were all still staring with varying looks of incredulity.

“I’m starved,” Mick said loudly. “Fucking time-travel is hell on my stomach.”

“Yeah,” Sara jumped in. She stood from her seat and patted Jax on the shoulder. “Let’s go grab a bite.”

“But we can’t--” Rip’s protest was cut off by a glare from Sara. “All right, but we’re not interacting with anybody and we’re bringing the food straight back to the ship!”

They cleared out, Rip still grumbling, and Len felt some of the tension in his shoulders dissipate.

“Gotta love Mick and Sara,” Barry said.

Len chuckled. “They _are_ perceptive, aren’t they?”

Barry was pretty perceptive, too. He leaned against the console and crossed his arms over his chest. “So obviously this was a bit of a surprise for you. Just...how _much_ of a surprise?”

Len leaned back in his seat and crossed his right ankle over his left knee, his hands resting on his leg. He smirked. “What’s it worth to you, Barry?”

Barry’s eyes narrowed. “Are you actually from the past? I swear to god, Lenny, if you’re fucking with me right now--”

“ _Relax_ , Scarlet.” Len was grinning now. “I’m from the past, yes. But this little encounter wasn’t _too_ surprising, so don’t worry.”

Barry’s arms dropped to his side and he said, “Oh, thank god.”

“We’ve been on two dates now. Three, if you count _Star Wars_ , but I don’t.”

“Ah. So we haven’t--oh shit, was that your first kiss with me?” Barry’s hand covered his eyes. “God, I’m such an idiot. Len is _really_ going to kill me now.”

“Don’t worry, kid. Your secret is safe with me.”

Barry glared at him. “That is _so_ not helping right now.”

Len stood from his seat and stalked toward Barry, having too much fun with how flustered the kid could get. “I could keep this to myself, though. Not let on to _my_ Barry that his future self stole his first kiss with me.”

“Uh huh. And what is that going to cost me?” Barry’s arms were still across his chest but his eyes were sparkling and he looked like he was trying _really hard_ not to smile.

“Well.” Len took a couple steps closer, crowing into his space. “Seeing as how you’ve already taken that pleasure from your past self, perhaps a repeat performance wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”

Barry was raising an eyebrow again and Len realized that he must have picked up the gesture from his future self.

Time travel was so strange sometimes.

“You think you’re so smooth,” Barry said, holding his hand out to stop Len’s approach, but he was grinning now.

“Smooth as ice.”

Barry rolled his eyes. “Oh, god.”

Len rested his hands against the console on either side of Barry’s hips, bracketing him in his arms. “You love my puns, don’t you?”

“I’m not answering that.” He narrowed his eyes, but he was still smiling. “And I’m _not_ kissing you again, so you can _cool it_ with this whole thing,” he said, waving his fingers at Len’s position.

Len pushed himself up. “Too bad, Scarlet. I really would have liked the practice.”

“Oh don’t worry, Lenny,” Barry said, patting his cheek. “You’ll get plenty of practice.”

Len hummed. “Good to know.”

“What I don’t understand is why Gideon thought you were _my_ Len,” Barry said, frowning at the ship’s console.

Len ignored the shiver that went down his spine when Barry said _my Len_.

“Gideon?”

“Hello, Barry Allen.”

“Was there a malfunction in your communication with S.T.A.R. Labs?”

“No malfunctions detected, Mr. Allen.”

Barry punched a few things into the control panel and tilted his head to the side. “That’s so weird.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

Len narrowed his eyes. “Rip was trying to take us back to our time before we landed here. Gideon said it _had to be done_.”

“What had to be done, Gideon? Why did you bring them here?”

Gideon’s face appeared in the hologram field. “To even out the playing field.” If Len wasn’t mistaken, Gideon was _smirking_.

“What does that mean?”

“To put both players on equal footing, to--”

“Not the expression, Gideon! What playing field are you referring to?”

“The playing field is a metaphor for your relationship with Mr. Leonard Allen.”

Barry’s eyes widened. Len was pretty sure his own mouth was hanging open.

Barry seemed to recover first. “Right. You were giving Len a chance to see the future because I got to see it before we started dating. That...makes sense, I guess. Um, thank you, Gideon.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Allen.”

Len and Barry stared at each other.

“Look. You can’t tell me about this,” Barry said after another moment of strained silence.

“Why not?”

“Because you _didn’t_ tell me about it. If you do, it might change the timeline.”

Len rolled his eyes and sat in his chair again. “I’m so sick of the damn timeline.”

“Tell me about it,” Barry muttered, staring at the floor with a frown.

“Disappointed, Scarlet?”

“Huh?” Barry looked up and blushed. “Sorry. I just--I was really hoping to see you today. Future-you, I mean. _My_ Len.”

“Have I been gone for a while?”

“Few weeks, yeah.” Barry sighed and took a seat in the chair right beside him. “I can’t tell you anything about it, of course, but--well, like I said, you’re supposed to be back next week. I just got excited when Gideon told me you were home early.”

“I’m...sorry, Barry.”

“Not your fault.”

Len couldn’t stand how _defeated_ he looked. He lifted his arm and wrapped it around Barry’s shoulders on instinct more than anything else. He was pleased when Barry leaned into him and rested his head on Len’s shoulder.

“I just miss you,” Barry said quietly.

“I know.”

They stayed like that until they heard the loud chatter of the crew returning to the Waverider.

Barry turned his head into Len’s neck. “Guess that’s my cue to go.”

Len squeezed him a little tighter. “Guess so.”

The crew was getting louder, closer to the main room.

Barry stood and smiled down at him. “Be safe, Lenny.”

“Take care, Scarlet. And don’t worry. I’ll be home soon.”

Len didn’t actually _see_ the speedster do it, but he felt a pair of lips press briefly against his own before Barry disappeared in a streak of lightning.

***

Eight days later, Barry Allen of 2017 was glaring at a hologram.

“Is it actually _my_ Len this time, Gideon?”

Gideon was smirking. “Yes, Mr. Allen.”

Still, he approached the Waverider with caution.

“Barry!” Sara clapped him on the back when he walked at normal speed onto the bridge.

His worries slipped away immediately. He hadn’t met Sara until a few months ago, so this was clearly the right version of the Legends crew. Barry’s eyes settled on Len and he smiled, his boyfriend breaking into a smile of his own.

“Do me a favor,” Sara whispered, tugging Barry down to her level. “Keep Leonard occupied tonight? I’d like to have Snart the Younger all to myself for a bit.”

Barry laughed. “I’m sure I can manage that. Tell Lisa I said hello.”

Sara released him and patted his shoulder. “Will do.”

“And what was that all about?” Len asked, his eyes narrowed after Sara.

“Oh, you know. I’ve been asked to keep you busy so she can thoroughly debauch your baby sister,” Barry said with a smirk.

Len turned his narrowed eyes on Barry. “Why on Earth would you tell me that?”

Barry strode forward and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, burying his face in Len’s neck. He smiled when he felt Len return the embrace.  
“Missed you,” Len muttered into his hair.

Barry chuckled. “Me, too.” He lifted his head just enough to brush his lips against Len’s ear. “Don’t worry, Lenny. You’re gonna get thoroughly debauched tonight, too.”

Len shivered. “Good night for the Snart siblings.” Then he tilted his head toward Barry’s ear and whispered, “Take me home, Scarlet.”

He flashed them back to their shared apartment, effortlessly phasing them both through the front door and heading straight for the bedroom.

Several rounds and a shared shower later they found themselves in the living room, picking up their marathon of The Office. Barry had his feet up on the coffee table and Len was stretched out along the couch, his head in Barry’s lap.

“For real, Netflix?” Barry said when the screen went dark and a message popped up asking if they were still watching.

“Just press the button, babe,” Len mumbled, burying his nose in Barry’s pajama pants.

Barry stretched his arm out dramatically. “I can’t reach the remote!”

“Guess we’re not watching any more, then.”

Barry pinched his arm and Len flicked his knee in retaliation.

He had really missed this.

“I wish you didn’t have to be gone on missions for so long,” Barry said, running his hand over Len’s short, soft hair.

Len turned onto his back and touched Barry’s cheek. “Me too.”

Barry bit his lip. “What do you think about...getting married?”

Len blinked up at him. He seemed surprised at the question for a few seconds before his eyes widened just slightly and his lips morphed into a smirk.

“You had a run-in with Past Me, didn’t you?”

Barry huffed and poked his stomach. “I can’t believe you never told me.”

“You told me not to!” Len sat up and turned to face him. “When did it happen?”

“About a week ago.”

Len leaned forward and kissed him soundly. “If you’ll remember, I met up with you as soon as I got home and kissed you senseless.”

Barry chuckled, a fond smile sneaking onto his face. “Yeah, that was a good day. Poor Cisco was scarred for life after he walked in on us.”

“That’s what he gets for coming in without knocking.”

Barry smacked his arm. “We were the middle of the cortex!”

Len looked unapologetic.

“So,” Barry said, fidgeting with the ties on his pajamas. “About my question…”

“Barry Allen,” Len said. “Are you proposing to me?”

“I--no! That’s not what I--I just wanted to _know_ if you--”

He was cut off by a kiss.

“Yes, Barry. I think we should get married.”

Barry grinned. “Really?”

Len kissed him again. “Really.”

“This is _not_ a proposal, though! Don’t go running around telling people you’re engaged or anything because you are _not_.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Len said, smirking.

Barry rolled his eyes. “Trust me, you’ll know when I’m proposing.”

“Mmm. You seem pretty confident that I won’t propose to _you_ first, Scarlet.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

Len grabbed the remote and settled back down on the couch, his head landing in Barry’s lap once again. “Guess we’ll just have to see who gets to it first.”

Barry snatched the remote from his hand and hit _Continue Watching_.

“I guess we’ll see.”

***

Back in 2016, Leonard Snart strode into S.T.A.R. Labs on a Saturday afternoon. Barry was there alone, just as Gideon had promised.

“Hello, Scarlet,” Len said.

Barry jumped and whirled around at superspeed. Then his face broke into a grin and he said, “Len! You’re home!”

Before Len could do anything he had an armful of speedster and he hugged back instinctively.

“Uh, sorry,” Barry said, laughing and pulling back. “That...was a little too desperate, wasn’t it? I mean, I’m glad to see you, obviously, I just--”

Len cut him off with a kiss.

“Oh,” Barry whispered when they pulled apart. He was smiling sweetly and he scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish, “Um?”

“Was that okay?” Len asked. His hands were on Barry’s hips and he squeezed minutely.

“ _Definitely_. More than okay.”

Len tugged him closer and whispered against his lips. “Good.”

**Author's Note:**

> This fic gave me so much trouble lol. For the longest time I could not figure out how to end it and then today it just kind of came to me as I was re-reading. Hope you enjoyed! There's already another one in the works ;)
> 
> Please come visit me on [tumblr](http://believesinponds.tumblr.com)! I love making new friends and I am always accepting prompts :D


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